| Learn more about school funding at the federal level, and then communicate with Congress!
Read President Barack Obama's Education Agenda at Whitehouse.gov, and contact the President to share your ideas. Track every dollar spent and every job created at Recovery.gov, and weigh in with comments and questions.
How the Federal Budget Works
Check these resources for an overview of how the federal budget process works and when you can weigh in:
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - Works at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.
Budget and Appropriations: Background Information - Coalition on Human Needs.
Budget of the United States Government - U.S. Government Printing Office.
Thomas.gov - Legislative information from the Library of Congress.
U.S. Department of Education
The Federal Role in Education - Education in America is primarily a State and local responsibility. The U.S. Department of Education's budget is only a small part of both total national education spending and the overall Federal budget.
Federal Title I Allocations
Budget News - Information on U.S. Department of Education funding, including congressional action on appropriations.
Department of Education Budget Tables
NCLB Section 9527. Prohibitions on Federal Government and Use of Federal Funds - Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the Federal Government to mandate, direct, or control a State, local educational agency, or school's curriculum, program of instruction, or allocation of State or local resources, or mandate a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this Act, U.S. Department of Education.
Even so, on May 12, 2006, the U.S. Department of Education threatened to withhold federal funds for failure to comply with NCLB highly qualified teacher requirements. Minnesota Department of Education quickly submits additional information showing 97.2% of Minnesota's elementary school classes and 94.8% of secondary school classes were taught by highly qualified teachers in the 2005-06 school year. Approximately 4,000 of 86,000 classes (4.7%) in the State were taught by non-highly qualified teachers. Nonetheless, the U.S. Department of Education was guarded in its May 18 response:
"Thank you for presenting this additional information in such a timely manner. The U.S. Department of Education now agrees that the MDE is, in general, implementing the HQT provisions of the statute and making an effort to meet the HQT goal. As a result, we will not require any grant conditions and do not anticipate imposing any sanctions on the MDE regarding this issue.
Nevertheless, the submitted data show that Minnesota is unlikely to meet the 100 percent HQT goal by the end of the current school year. The Department looks forward to reviewing the revised plan you will submit in July that details the specific steps you will take to reach the HQT goal in the 2006-07 school year."
Source: Improving Teacher Quality State Grants - U.S. Department of Education.
June 2005 - 10 Facts About K–12 Education Funding - There are no unfunded federal education “mandates.” Federal education program “requirements” are not unfunded mandates because the conditions in federal law apply only when a state (or other grantee) voluntarily chooses to accept federal funds. Any state that does not want to abide by a federal program’s requirements can simply choose not to accept the federal funds associated with that program, U.S. Department of Education.
Minnesota Resources
May 2006 - Show us the money! An update on federal education funding (Power Point), Minnesota Rural Education Association.
March 2006 - Impact of the President’s Proposed 2007 Budget on Minnesota, Minnesota Budget Project.
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